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AppStore.com Short Links Go Into Effect, as Apple Simplifies App URLs for Developers

You were probably too distracted by whatever GoDaddy advertisement just aired to notice last night. But during a preview for the new Star Trek film, Apple managed to launch the new AppStore.com domain during the Superbowl. Besides looking pretty, the tidy URLs made possible by AppStore.com won’t mean a lot to users like us; however, developers definitely stand to gain by implementing Apple’s new domain offering into their marketing strategies.

If you’ll recall, the links to Apple-hosted app pages used to be mysterious and laden with ID numbers, making them pretty much worthless outside of direct links. Now, with AppStore.com (AppStore.com/StarTrekApp, for example), app makers have yet another way to spread the news of a new release… Here’s how Apple sees the new domains improving the current situation:

“Provide a simple way for users to find your apps with easy-to-remember App Store Short Links. Using an AppStore.com URL that includes your app or company name, you can create links to a single app or all of your apps. These links are accessible worldwide and will automatically direct users to their country’s respective App Store or Mac App Store.”

The new domain was made possible for Apple in part by the personal gift from Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff to the late Steve Jobs. Seeing as they’ve had the domain since 2008, we are not sure why AppStore.com URLs are just going into effect, but it’s a nice perk for developers going forward.